US President Barack Obama said that a Palestinian move for recognition next week at the United Nations was a “distraction” and would not result in viable statehood.
According to AFP, Obama said on Monday that Israel would “hurt itself” if it retaliated to any such action by withdrawing resources that in any way harmed Palestinian self-policing efforts.
Washington has already threatened to veto any bid for full recognition by the Palestinians in the U.N. Security Council.
Obama stated the Palestinian tactics were “a distraction” and did not solve the problem of statehood. “This issue is only going to be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing on something,” he said.
“What happens in New York City can occupy a lot of press attention but is not going to change actually what is happening on the ground until the Israelis and Palestinians sit down,” Obama said.
